What Do You Need To Change To Be More Successful?

WHAT I DO: I help credit union executives, small business owners and entrepreneurs achieve professional growth, career advancement, increased earnings and work-life balancer by providing a customized developmental process based upon their unique needs.

WHO I WORK WITH: I partner with executives, business owners and senior-level managers including:

WHY IT WORKS: When you partner with me, you get the most efficient, effective and affordable executive coaching and strategic planning processes that leaders like you are looking for right now.

WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT? I have run a business and faced many of the challenges you now face. I was for 29 years a credit union CEO, and prior to that in in consumer finance. I am a Vietnam Vet. My knowledge has been acquired over a long haul. I do not offer cookie-cutter solutions. In fact, I do not even suggest a solution until I understand you, your organization and your needs. No prescriptions without a diagnosis.

HOW IT WORKS: We begin by talking by telephone about your organization, your vision, and what does success look like. I start with a blank page and simply listen. I request 30-minutes initially, and then schedule a follow-up call to share what I feel is the best solution for you.

READY TO TALK? Reach out to me here on LinkedIn, e-mail me at tom@kesgroupllc.com, visit online at www.kesgroupllc.com or call me direct at 941-650-9027.

Strategic Planning is an organizational tool that is used by groups and corporations globally to refine their goals and maximize their resources. Drawing from the concepts of strategic military planning, the strategic planning process is one way in which businesses strive to attain a competitive edge. Strategic planning involves defining goals, creating an adaptable business plan and measuring core competencies of staff to increase productivity and results. The understanding and implementation of strategic planning can significantly affect a company's ability to maximize revenue and growth. The process has been used effectively in many fields of business, education, and government to formulate productive business systems and resource management solutions. While there are several different approaches to implementing a strategic planning process, most models use the following definitions: Mission definition: The mission definition stage of strategic planning encourages an organization to develop a brief description of the purpose to inform potential...

A successful team is one in which everyone pulls their weight to create the best possible results. The strong qualities that team members need to have can be nurtured through encouragement and growth, but they should also be existing innately. Every one of these three characteristics should be exhibited by all of your team members. Dedicated Truly admirable people aren't the ones who get everything right on their first try. They're the ones who, even if they make mistakes the first time, refuse to give up. They're enthusiastic about every part of the process and are willing to accept criticism. Dedication isn't something that can be faked. You can assemble a quality team by considering how each member has shown their dedication in the past . Whether it's coming to work early or pitching in to complete projects that others were struggling with, dedication means give things your all as...

It's early 2019. Many people will mull over what went right last year and what did not. Where are the opportunities to improve, your organizational goal categories, areas of responsibility, prioritizing goals, converting goals to action steps, and execution? As a leader, it is important that your personal behaviors and core values be considered in a personal planning process. The business that you manage reflects your personal core values and vision, so the long-range strategic plan for your life must be harmonious with your professional goals. Few of my clients had a long-range strategic plan for their life when we started. That leads to role awareness and self-direction issues. Before you set a path in that may end up being a repeat of this year, and the one before, take the time to review your personal strategic plan, and that of your business. Is your personal plan on target? Then...

A stress-free lifestyle could very well do wonders in eliminating depression. Here are seven practical methods to combat stress: Express Amusement and Be Happy. Laugh hard and loud. If you do not have a sense of humor, find someone else who does. Laughter releases endorphins (happy chemicals) from the body, and it helps boost your immune system. Take Control Over Your Time and Schedule. You will be much more able to deal with stress if you have a good handle on your job, relationships, and other activities. When you are in control, you are more inclined to stay focused and calm. Plan your time wisely. Remember to leave room for unexpected events, both negative and positive. Be adaptable in rearranging your agenda. Get up 15 minutes early in the morning. Allow an extra 15 minutes to get to all appointments. Avoid procrastinating on important or urgent tasks. Whatever needs doing,...

If you believe that we as a nation more dysfunctional and unwilling to collaborate, compromise and cooperate, then I agree. Refusing to appreciate an opposing viwe is the hallmark of an insecure person and unworthy of any leadership poisition or authority. As we gain knowledge and skills, it generally follows that our careers and levels of authority increase. Some leaders may first hold a position as a follower and then are elevated to a position of management for which they are not prepared. I often observe that when a CFO becomes a CEO or a long-term employee is promoted based on seniority versus merit. The skills and knowledge that made them a great follower are not the same competencies they need to be a leader. Leadership is learned… they are not born. Attitude and behavior are more important at the top. Technical skills are 10% of what a leader needs;...

The word recently paid homage to George H.W. Bush. The testimonials were almost universally respectful, kind, thoughtful and emphasized how President Bush’s life was one of service and compassion. There seems to be an acceptance that he was a great leader and man. He was authentic, cared deeply about others and used his considerable wealth and influence to make the world a better place. Politics aside, there is a lesson in leadership not to be ignored. All of us has either worked for or known a leader that was/is the total opposite of Mr. Bush. They may enjoy success in the short term. Some have achieved acclaim and great wealth. When they pass away or are fired by their Board of Directors, we do not celebrate their life or career. It's not a Christian response, it is a human reaction. The person was a jerk, ran over people, showed a...

25 years as a credit union CEO and I realized my dream of living in a small town, with no traffic, on a mountain and as far away as I could get from an ncua (nobody cares or appreciates credit unions) examiner. Having the time and flexibility to reflect on a career in financial services that spanned 39 years, and the freedom to do what I please allows me a level of introspection not possible while running a large credit union. Having a passion for succeeding can be dampened by onerous regulators and meddlesome board members. It’s understandable that as the CEO of the credit union you can be side-tracked and forget to ask, “What is the primary purpose of your business”? I have taken the disciplines of strategic planning, my years in credit unions and empathy for your role as CEO to add value to executive strategic planning. The...

PROLOGUE From my book SHOULDERING THE COST: One Credit Union CEO’s Take on the Great Banking Collapse of 2008 . Available on Amazon in KOndle or paperback. “Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” --- Vicki Harrison Love and laughter used to live in this home. Now, it’s empty. I remember thinking this on Father’s Day 2010 when my wife and I felt forced to sell our home in Sarasota, Florida and were moving to rural NE Georgia facing an uncertain future. My heart no longer resided in my chest. It resided in my shoes taking a crushing blow with each step I took toward what would no longer be my front door. The last three years had been bad, really bad. The Great Recession, which started...

Far from being touchy-feely concepts touted by motivational speakers, purpose and values have been identified as key drivers of high-performing organizations. In Built to Last, James Collins and Jerry Porras reveal that purpose- and values-driven organizations outperformed the general market and comparison companies by 15:1 and 6:1, respectively. In Corporate Culture and Performance, Harvard professors John Kotter and James Heskett found that firms with shared-values–based cultures enjoyed 400% higher revenues, 700% greater job growth, 1,200% higher stock prices and significantly faster profit performance, as compared to companies in similar industries. In Firms of Endearment , marketing professor Rajendra Sisodia and his coauthors explain how companies that put employees’ and customers’ needs ahead of shareholders’ desires outperform conventional competitors in stock-market performance by 8:1. Leaders who have a clearly articulated purpose and are driven to make a difference can inspire people to overcome insurmountable odds, writes Roy M. Spence Jr. in...

“It’s a long journey, with lots of twists and turns. But it’s all about the ride, not the destination. Enjoy the ride!” That is the dedication to me in Executive Crumple Zone, a novel by Michael A. Sisti. Mike is an expert in branding, marketing, and creative thinking. His words resonate with me as I contemplate the value and joys of coaching as a profession. Our personal and professional lives are indeed a journey, with detours, accidents, and challenges. A coach has a responsibility to respect the journey that the client is on, and not redirect that path in a way that is counterproductive, nor disruptive. That places a burden on me as a coach in as much as I find most clients asking for advice, versus them discovering the answers via my facilitation. In my coaching experiences, I have encountered three types of individuals. The first is the executive...

´When you invest your time, you make a goal and a decision of something that you want to accomplish. Whether it's make good grades in school, be a good athlete, be a good person, go down and do some community service and help somebody who's in need, whatever it is you choose to do, you're investing your time in that.” Nick Saban Many of my executive coaching clients have shared that effective time management is an issue for them…they have too many meetings, too many interruptions and are always under a demand to get more done more quickly without enough hours in the day. Sound familiar? We all have the same amount of time each day. That’s it! It’s a false assumption that in order to succeed, you must get more things done more quickly. The correct statement is In order to succeed, you must get more things done more...

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” Seth Godin Reverend Joan Gray wrote a wonderful book entitled Sailboat Church , which speaks to helping your Church rethink its mission and practice. There are abundant applications we can use in managing our businesses. After years of experience, I can say with the wisdom of 20/20 hindsight that, I made many mistakes. I learned from them and did not commit the same ones more than once. It is that distance of time that provides the perspective and capacity to reflect and grow. As a CEO, you may (or you will) experience what we know as “burn-out”. You are tired of doing, doing and doing but nothing is getting accomplished. You are frustrated. It is that nothing happening which bothers us the...

Strategic Planning is an organizational tool that is used by groups and corporations globally to refine their goals and maximize their resources. Drawing from the concepts of strategic military planning, the strategic planning process is one way in which businesses strive to attain a competitive edge. Strategic planning involves defining goals, creating an adaptable business plan and measuring core competencies of staff to increase productivity and results. The understanding and implementation of strategic planning can significantly affect a company's ability to maximize revenue and growth. The process has been used effectively in many fields of business, education, and government to formulate productive business systems and resource management solutions. While there are several different approaches to implementing a strategic planning process, most models use the following definitions: Mission definition: The mission definition stage of strategic planning encourages an organization to develop a brief description of purpose to inform potential stockholders,...

Reticence: The greatest generation: takes no credit for achievements; you cannot drag a story out of them about their war experiences, versus Exposure: the millennials who crave attention; take selfies; post photos of their food and use social media to boast and wound others. To add a frame of reference and context, the following are the dates of birth for the generations: The Silent (Reticence) Generation, Born between 1928-1945 The Baby Boomers: Born between 1946-1964 Millennials: Born between 1981-1996 Gen Z: Born 1996 and later Each has unique markers, behaviors, values, consumption needs and poses different managerial challenges in the workplace. My mom was born in 1928 and has passed away. It is a fair bet that few of the silent generation are in the workforce in 2018. The baby boomers (that includes me), are still working, albeit the numbers are dwindling quickly. We were expected to inherit our parent's...

What 5 to 8 critical goals must be achieved this year and what happens if you do not achieve them?

What do your members expect from you and are you providing it?

How do you define success and are you achieving it?

Q: What key outputs may you expect from Executive Strategic Planning?

A: Vision- A big picture and “rules for the road” that construct the umbrella and culture of the organization for the next 5-15 years.

Strategic Objectives (Mission) - for the next 18-24 months to draw closer to the vision.

Values statement – Your organization’s values determine its actions.

Critical Goal Categories – 5 to 8 categories which are individually necessary and together sufficient to effectively assure the achievement of the mission.

Business Plan – Actions to pursue during the next 12-18 months.

Q: How much time might your planning process take?

A: A cumulative time of 12 to 19 hours, depending on how prepared and focused the participants are. The market plan, sales plan, key assumptions, budget, and forecasts are performed by management after the planning session. Many wait until fall to plan; however, that may create stress due to budget deadlines and the holidays. Planning can be done anytime. Why not in the spring or summer?

Q: What will your investment be?

A: That is based on the size, complexity of your organization and the number of participants. Your investment includes all materials and preparation, a kick-off session, the planning session and follow up calls. We can discuss that in a phone call and I can give you specifics. An average planning session with up to 15 participants is $9,500, plus reasonable travel expenses.

Depending on the needs of the organization, follow-up sessions and assistance in creating a strategic plan recap so it can be readily shared and referred to a dashboard to share are provided at no added investment to you.

Not included is any implementation of development processes to support your plan. Behavior and people development are often necessary critical goal categories for successful implementation. These developmental processes, e.g. executive coaching, are priced per person.

Q: How would I describe the executive strategic planning process?

A: It begins with a kick-off meeting 2 weeks in advance where each participant receives a workbook. All participants are requested to read and/or listen to the elements of the process and the business plan prior to the planning session. The planning session is a working one with my role being your facilitator. The strategic plan is usually completed in a weekend retreat setting. The CEO typically sets up the teams for the session in groups of 4 to 5 per table and they remain together. A mix of executives and directors is preferred.

This process creates ownership in the strategic plan. The benefit to the organization is that all participants are involved, understand the process, contribute and become better educated.

Tom Randle

Certified Business Coach

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

tele: 941-650-9027

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thomas Merton's idea that the best we can do is to be the best version of ourselves—in all our imperfect glory. Here is one of my favorite quotes by him: "Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am. That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself, and if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself." What I like about growing older is that I increasingly do not care what other people think, and I have less need to prove whom I am. I often think about some of the early, limiting influences that shaped my path, when I allowed them to. And what I mean by this is consider the frequently heard sayings in your family. They were well meaning when preached to you, however, the...

“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” ― J.K. Rowling , Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone John Wayne was an actor and an American icon. Many will agree that he was a man’s man and symbolized the courage, integrity and charisma that are hallmarks of what we want to see in our leaders…and in ourselves. When we think of today’s leaders, however, courage isn’t often the term that is top of mind. We accept that persons of leadership have power and authority, but often, unfortunately, these attributes are used for harm more than good. As honor is a part of integrity, so then is courage a part of character. A person with great character, who performs an act of courage, doesn’t take that action with a conscious thought that his or her deeds...

Thomas Merton's idea that the best we can do is to be the best version of ourselves—in all our imperfect glory. Here is one of my favorite quotes by him: "Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am. That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself, and if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself." What I like about growing older is that I increasingly do not care what other people think, and I have less need to prove whom I am. I often think about some of the early, limiting influences that shaped my path, when I allowed them to. And what I mean by this is consider the frequently heard sayings in your family. They were well meaning when preached to you, however, the...

“Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50 percent of your time in leading yourself--your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, and conduct. Invest at least 20 percent leading those with authority over you and 15 percent leading your peers.” — Dee Hock , Founder and CEO Emeritus of VISA Over the course of my career of more than 40 years, 29 of those in the credit union industry, I cannot recall any speaker or any of my peers debating the differences between integrity and ethics. It may have been that we were all afraid of opening Pandora’s Box or perhaps, it hit too close to home. I was no angel. With the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, neither were many of my peers, especially in the regulatory agencies. Integrity is defined as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness...

General George S. Patton said, “Leaders instill in their people a hope for success and a belief in themselves". Positive leaders empower people to accomplish their goals”. During one of the worst periods in the history of our world, with chaos and carnage on virtually every continent, do you believe for an instant that Gen. Patton ever though he would not be successful? Absolutely not. Leaders know that being united in battle, or the boardroom, is essential to managing a battalion or an organization. The men and women in our armed forces share a common mission and are united in a shared set of values. They fight to protect the people beside them. If unity is not paramount, they cannot accomplish their mission. Whether it’s “leave no man behind”, “This We'll Defend” or "Called to Duty, Boots on the Ground", members of our military are united by closely held beliefs....

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Strategic Planning is an organizational tool that is used by groups and corporations globally to refine their goals and maximize their resources. Drawing from the concepts of strategic military planning, the strategic planning process is one way in w...

A successful team is one in which everyone pulls their weight to create the best possible results. The strong qualities that team members need to have can be nurtured through encouragement and growth, but they should also be existing innately. Every ...

It's early 2019. Many people will mull over what went right last year and what did not. Where are the opportunities to improve, your organizational goal categories, areas of responsibility, prioritizing goals, converting goals to action steps, and ex...

A stress-free lifestyle could very well do wonders in eliminating depression. Here are seven practical methods to combat stress: Express Amusement and Be Happy. Laugh hard and loud. If you do not have a sense of humor, find someone else who does. La...

If you believe that we as a nation more dysfunctional and unwilling to collaborate, compromise and cooperate, then I agree. Refusing to appreciate an opposing viwe is the hallmark of an insecure person and unworthy of any leadership poisition or auth...

“As a Senior Executive in the Credit Union industry - I have personally experienced along with my staff - what Tom brings to the table as a Coach. Tom is uniquely qualified from his experiences as CEO and President of a Credit Union and brings not only that experience but has a special way of identifying unique qualities that we all have but sometimes have not fully realized and utilized in the work place and in our personal lives. Tom delivers in such a way that exhibits high integrity and a genuine concern for his clients -- I strongly recommend Tom for your organization if you are looking for ways to inspire and motivate your staff to reach to the next level.”…Tim Smith